Warwick Growl

Which warwick has the most pronounced "growl" tone? Looking at the different wood combinations theoretically the corvette or the thumb (neck-through) would seem to have the best growl, because of the bubinga body but I'm not sure. Also If anyone has a used corvette that you'd like to sell, let me know. Thanx

I own a corvette std. 5. It sounds like a bass, I really am not sure about the "growl" but it has really good punch. Don't ask me why but warwick made basses have this really cool higher note sound that I don't hear from any other bass. When I think of growl I think of "BattleStar Scralachtica" on Make Yourself cd from incubus, but I think that sound is partly achieved from the Sans Amp modulator Alex uses.......

Originally posted by akajuve400g Don't ask me why but warwick made basses have this really cool higher note sound that I don't hear from any other bass.

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prolly has a lot to do with the bell brass fret material...i have a newer warwick without the brass nut and i notice a different tone from fretted notes than the open ones...like any other bass, but it seems more pronounced...

I am the fortunate owner of 2 Warwick 5 strings,a gorgeous Honey Violin FNA and a yummy Thumb Bolt On.Warwicks to me are one of those things that it's hard to be neutral about,and I see that as an asset.

I'm talking the lo-mid growl that cuts through like a knife. Like in the songs "SouthTown" and "Hollywood" by P.O.D.. You see I play in a power trio and need to cover more frequency ground than I am. Right now I have an ibanez that's real percussive and clicky kinda like a warwick (due to the piece of aluminum I attached to the of fretboard where my strings had worn grooves), but it doesn't have that Lo-Mid growl that you can't miss.

I have had a Corvette 4-string, and found it lacking in the growl department, the pickups weren't that dynamic either. Sold it.
It had an ash body, and wengé neck...so I think that the sound you're looking for is mainly a setup-question. (look for a bass and amp, possibly some kind of effect pedal that accentuate eachother in a good way.)
I have a Status bass, (cheap one) and on my Ampeg B100r it's very transparant, deep sounding, while on a combo with 10 inch speakers, it's very fast and in your face.

Originally posted by Niels Keijzer I have had a Corvette 4-string, and found it lacking in the growl department,

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Funny, the guitar player in one of my bands also plays some bass, and he owns a Warwick Corvette std. 4 (bubinga/wenge). I have played it a number of times and it growls like, nobody's business. I like that bass a lot, too bad it isn't mine...

Funny, the guitar player in one of my bands also plays some bass, and he owns a Warwick Corvette std. 4 (bubinga/wenge). I have played it a number of times and it growls like, nobody's business. I like that bass a lot, too bad it isn't mine...

Another case of "it's all in the hands of the player"?

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actually, Niels said his had an ash body which was probobally the reason because your friend had bubinga which is much denser.

Corvette (bubinga)
FNA
FNA JazzMan
Fortress
Streamer Pro M
[All of these in both 4- and 5-string versions, where applicable]

Anyhow, the Corvette wins the growl contest hands-down. I have never heard more low midrange from a bass in my life. Running it through an Eden rig (WT-300 + D-410XLT) was an epiphany. Even with the bridge pickup soloed, it had an incredible amount of bass and low midrange, with just enough high-mid and treble articulation to eat through any mix. I'd buy a 5-string or 6-string one in a heartbeat when I got the money, but the string spacing is way too tight for slapping. (My tendinitis went away -- )

The FNA and JazzMan have a good slap sound, but not nearly enough midrange for fingerstyle. The Fortress is worthless, IMO--the flame maple body and Jazz pickup combo produce a bass that sounds pretty on its own, but doesn't have any of the necessary midrange definition to get through. The ProM is much the same way, although it has a bit more high-mid grind and might be good with a pick.

I'd like to try a Thumb someday, but my left wrist would probably scream and yelp in pain--and I wear my bass right under my chin...

I have a Corvette (active pickups), bubinga body, wenge neck - and this bass definitely growls. I think a lot of the growl also has to do with the way it's played, I really dig in. If I'm playing lightly I'm not too sure there's any growl. I also think the wenge neck has something to with it. The new bass necks aren't made entirely of wenge and I'm sure this affects the sound somehow.

I am the very proud owner of a 1997 Thumb 5 Neck-Through, and let me tell you, there is some serious GROWL to this thing... But the fact is, Pretty much every Warwick i've ever played has had that GROWL to some extent. It's a function of the Woods they use *mostly*... The Wenge necks/fingerboard very much add to the growl, with the body wood giving each different Warwick model it's own sound, as well as the neck-through/bolt-on difference. The *most* growl i've ever heard is on a Dolphin Pro... but those things ARENT cheap (I got a steal on my bass used, otherwise i'd have a bolt-on right now)... Overall I prefer the tone of the Thumb, but the Streamers are very popular for their tone, which isn't TOO far removed. I don't know if that helps any but I thought I should comment,

John

BTW, i've had this thing for almost 2 years now and I still look at it in awe...

Originally posted by Joe Nerve I have a Corvette (active pickups), bubinga body, wenge neck - and this bass definitely growls. I think a lot of the growl also has to do with the way it's played, I really dig in. If I'm playing lightly I'm not too sure there's any growl. I also think the wenge neck has something to with it. The new bass necks aren't made entirely of wenge and I'm sure this affects the sound somehow. [/QUOTE

I actually asked the company about the use of ovankol in the necks and they said that it sounds basicly the same but with a little more warmth. The ovankol is also a lot smoother and faster to play. I'd choose wenge if I had a choice but wenge is in real short supply. I've found from testing a few Warwicks that they have great dynamic responce which is good for me because I usally play hard. The end of my fretboard grooves in it about a 1/16 of an inch deep under the B, E, and A strings, and my bass is just over a year old. Well it's an ibanez that thing at the base of the neck to rest your fingers on if you play that close to it, and it blows ass, so I'm not that supprised.

You say you play an ibanez, huh? well, if its active, you need not look any further than too turn the boost up and the tone down. When I play things like sublime and 311, I turn the boost up all the way and turn the tone down. I then turn up my p-pickup volume all the way up and turn the j-pickup up just a little just for fullness and phatness so as to get that bass line sound Im looking for. I can't fully understand what you are looking for but I think this is what you wanted. It may also be the amp you play through. As for the warwick that you are looking for, Ive only played a few and havent been playing long enough to truly tell a difference.
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